Galapogos
by m. james moore
Journal Entry #612, June 8, 1962
This should, by far, be the most unusual entry as of yet. I, Dr. Manuel Labeur, have successfully cheated death twice in one day, both by the same person, but in time periods 15 years apart. I am currently in the latter period, being sheltered by a cult group devoted to the restoration of the universe through technology I produced 15 years and a few hours ago. Yes, I invented -- or discovered first might be a better way to put it -- an exact method of time travel.
Seventeen years ago this day, under the new signed assisted suicide bill by President Kennedy, my comrade in science, Dr. Lee, and I became the first evokers of such a liberty. After having discussed the inherent dangers time travels would cause if discovered, we signed, in view of full media attention, a pact that one could legally shoot to kill the other if the other had discovered time travel. To me, the whole situation was simply to draw media attention to us as scientist, whereas we could be eternally recognized as outstanding doctorates of physics and quantum mechanics, which successfully led to out simultaneous and team professorship at Harvard. Neither of us ever pursued time travel until I did today. Today, that is, 15 years ago, which I then used to get myself here, so that for me it is still biologically 15 years ago, just 15 years forward. That sure is a mouthful, but seems to be the best explanation.
I was walking in one of the many campus parks when the thought suddenly struck me out of nowhere, and I had full comprehension of how time travel works. I believe I was daydreaming of a vacation in the Galapagos when it came. I immediately took a legal pad from my briefcase and began scribbling furiously.
After writing notes for some time, I was so engrossed I heeded no sign that Dr. Lee was approaching. He stopped right next to me and looked directly at my new notes. I barely had time to move before a shot came from the gun he wielded and splintered a plank of the bench. I successfully knocked him over with the briefcase, keeping my notes and ran furiously for my car, and sped home. In a matter of minutes after reaching my apartment I assembled the incredibly simple contraption out of parts easily found in any beginners' electronics kit. I turned the dial I had calculated in my head on the way home to 15 years and hit the switch. Sure enough, a swirling vortex opened before me. Hearing a banging on my door soon after, I stepped in and ended up here, where this cult was expecting me and quickly rushed me to a safe hideaway. It turns out I'd left my notes out, where officials discovered them upon searches issued along the lines of the Kennedy bill. Dr. Lee publicly vowed to hunt me down while at the same time, students in my favor vowed to protect me if they ever found me again, which, by some means I am still not sure of, were able to calculate the time I'd set on the dial.
They'd been waiting for my arrival for some time, and have decided that I will be their salvation, for you see, Dr. Lee used the technology from my notes to turn the time I am in now into a very dark place of rampant violence and gross disregard for all that we'd discussed before going public under the new bill those years ago. The cult says he repeatedly made errors in judgment and tried to correct them by going back and forth again, but even the slightest changes, as we'd discussed, did in fact have devastating consequences. For instance, color television has been banned, and the United States is under martial law under the Reformed Demopublic Reich. I'm not sure I want to know what exactly he did.
The cult has decided I should go back 15 years and stop myself from making the notes and before Dr. Lee catches sight of me. Ten extra minutes should do it, because I must have been scribbling a good 20 minutes before he showed up, ready and armed. I may never figure out why he decided to carry a gun that day. I've prepared the small electronic device for the correct setting and time so wish me luck. If successful, I will document it here tomorrow evening, in the right decade.
Journal entry #612, June 8, 1962
This should, by far, be the most unusual entry as of yet. I, Dr. Manuel Labeur, have successfully discovered time travel, but not without some bizarre circumstances.
I was walking in one of the many campus parks when the thought suddenly struck me out of nowhere, and I had full comprehension of how time travel works. I believe I was daydreaming of a vacation in the Galapagos when it came. I immediately took a legal pad from my briefcase and began scribbling furiously.
Suddenly, a vortex opens near me, and out falls a man with a horrible gunshot wound in the back. I near him, and he explains to me the consequences of such and I idea, and I realize that this man is myself and that fantastic idea of mine created such a horrible future. It is a rather unique experience to watch yourself die in your own hands, and right then I decided to halt the idea. It would go no further. The vortex had long since closed, and fearing a complex legal mess I didn't want to get into, I fled the scene. As I was getting into my car I could see Dr. Lee bent over the dead me, examining him. I drove off, later to hear on the news about my heath, while lounging comfortably at home. The me who had died revealed the one key mistake that I dare sat was the tragic flaw in my hasty escape into the future. I had simply left my notes where Dr. Lee could reach them and tamper with time in my absence. Despite a nagging doubt, I continued my research on my scribbled legal pad, and now have finished the project. I don't know why I didn't think of it before -- it can me made with parts available from any beginners' electronics set, and is so simple it is astounding.
I am not exactly sure what my original plan was, but I did leave a note in my home that would be found by police later than I had indeed discovered time travel and would prove to the world it was me who discovered it when I reappeared ten years later, alive and identical to the Polaroid I took of myself before I left.
I activated the device, stepped through and was greeted by thousands of flashes of media cameras, curiously tiny video recorders, and cheering fans. My living room had been turned into a huge platform where the media would be awaiting my arrival. Only now have I been able to set aside to myself to write this, in a special home built for me -- and my legacy.
And yet, despite this wondrous glory, I desire to go back again those ten years and watch myself discover that very moment in person, even though it was just to today, from my point of view but actually ten years ago in the period where I am now. I believe I shall go and do that now, as a matter of fact.
Journal entry #612, June 8, 1962
This should, by far, be the most unusual entry as of yet. I, Dr. Lee Oswald, have successfully discovered time travel, but not without some bizarre circumstances, which including shooting two people, both of which were the same person, and a third of that same person looked to already shot. I have killed my team professorship partner here at Harvard, Dr. Labeur, three times.
I have been hoping this day would come someday, and come it did -- thrice. I suppose I am guilty of killing him yes, but all in perfect legality within the terms of the pact we signed in mutual agreement two years ago, so I will not be prosecuted. This leaves me open to use, which I have produced here before writing this entry, the very device the three were discussing when I happened upon them. Hearing all that I needed to know (I am amazed I hadn't thought of it first, it was so simple), I promptly fired two shots where they were needed. There was some speculation on part whether the experiment would have been successful that they were discussing, but by the delight of the standing Dr. Labeur's ignorance of my presence. Another question might arise as to why I was even carrying a gun that day.
In fact, I received a visit from myself earlier that day that told me the whole plan. I have since traveled backward 2 years, and am planning a quick and clever assassination of President Kennedy, as I didn't appreciate the policies he brought forth in his second term noting the overturning of the very policy that my co-professor ascribed to, which, by then, led to my eventual arrest and subsequent jailing. So tonight I shall plant the bullets where they should really go, in the place I discovered rather perfectly vacant upon earlier "travel" to the time. Happy Birthday, mister president.
Journal entry #612, June 8, 2102
This is such a huge mess I don't even feel like discussing, but might as well. As I've said before, working for the Federal Time Commission can be a real drag some days, but today I'm glad this case is over. Not that seeing a government develop from under two different presidential administrations isn't interesting enough. I, Dr. Manuel Labeur personally apprehended the assassin of JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald as he was known then, but I knew him better as Dr. Lee (as he preferred to be called). The sheer expression on his face was worth all of the recognition I could ever have gotten. Being back in the real time is great, and such a relief. In my email was a forwarded image of Oswald's apprehension, snapped by a nearby media photographer in 1962. There I am, plan as day in the newspapers, just where I wanted to be from the beginning. That Galapagos vacation sounds really good about now.
THE END